Yarn-feeding device fob circular



p 1933. l. w. GROTHEY j 1,927,683

YARN FEEDING DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 5, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I I 'i I 2:"- l J6 I z I I I 57 U o I Q a1? dd? 1 .32?

Sept. 19, 1933. v I w GRQTHEY 1,927,683

YARN FEEDING DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 5, ,1929 3 sheets sheet 2 p 1933- w. GROTHEY 1,927,683

YARN FEEDING DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 5, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

Patented Sept. 19, 1933 PATENT oFFIcn-z YARN-FEEDING DEVICE FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Ivan W. Grothey,- Laconia, N. H., assignor to Scott & Williams, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 5,

20 Claims.

This invention relates to circular knitting machines for knitting patterned fabrics, and is particularly concerned with devices for feeding yarns capable of appropriate supply to needles, and especially to needles upon. which it is desired to produce two different kinds of knit pattern or structural stitch during the making of the same course of knit loops on a series of needles.

One familiar oldpractice in the manufacture of circular knit stockings is to provide for shift of the kind or color of yarn by change of the position of yarn fingers having guide eyes near their delivery ends; other practices provide for feeding two or more yarns in predetermined relation to each other for plating; devices have been provided for floating one of the yarns of a plating couple on the back face of the fabric for a color or textural pattern. Devices have been made to produce sectionally spliced areas containing a body and a splicing yarn and having longitudinal boundaries variable from course to course, so that thickened or spliced work having patterned edges may be provided for ornament of the tube knit by the machine. But, I- am aware, of no competent devices for making floatstitch ornamented fabric and patterned-edge -spliced areas capable of making such ornament side by side in the same courses by the same pattern-controlled devices, or for making such patterns on a hosiery machine having all of the desirable devices for fashioning and making welts on stockings knit in separate succession, and one object of my invention is to provide devices for this purpose. The complexities of a stocking knitting machine are such as to make it desirable to avoid giving too many different kinds of movement to the needles for decorative pattern purposes, and one object of this inven tion is to provide for a cooperation of the motions respectively of needles taking different paths for patterning purposes, and of motions of yarn guides cooperating with needles in different ways at different times, whereby one arrangement or position of the yarn guides may cooperate with needles taking certain paths to produce one kind of structural stitch effect for patterns; whereas another arrangement or posineedles moving in the same paths to produce another kind of structural-stitch effect for pattern purposes; and to provide for timely change in the position of said yarn feed devices for this purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provid tion of said ya'rn' guides may cooperate with 1929. Serial No. 390,593

needles and yarn guides arranged and adapted to operate in such a way as to produce usual hosiery fabrics, and also to provide for selecting and moving needles differently in respect to the yarn guides so as to make different kinds of stitch effects for pattern purposes in the web knit, and at the same time to provide for a cooperative motion among movable yarn guides which will result in feeding yarn to make one kind of structural stitch, (for example, in fabric having stitches of a body and a plating yarn, stitches in which one of these yarns floats behind a loop of the other) in 'one segment or part of a course of the knit fabric; and another kind of a structural stitch (for example, in 7. fabric having a body yarn and a plating yarn, stitches in'which a third yarnsplices with or is plated on said'body and plating yarn) in another part of the same course. Another object of the invention is to cause such changes in the 7.5 fabric made by alteration of the position of yarn guides, the needles continuing to take the same paths and thus to produce on passage by the said yarn guides the result of knitting one kind of fabric (for example, a sectionally spliced se'gment) and another kind of fabric (for example, plated work having one yarn of the plating couple floated to the rear) at another part of the same course of knitting.

Another object. of the invention is to provide patterning mechanism capable of being placed on a machine adapted to knit stockings (if desired, in separate succession) having welts,- stitch-length fashioned legs, fashioned heels and toes, and ordinary reinforcement patches, as at heel, sole and toe, (for example such stockings as are disclosed in the patent to Scott Reissue No. 16,795, dated November 22, 1927), such patterning mechanism operating yarn fingers to change the relative position of two or more of said fingers to produce different kinds of fabric at passage of particular segments of needles during circular knitting. The invention will now be explained in connectionwith one particular example of its application to 'an automatic circular hosiery knitting machine, but it will be understood that the invention is applicable to any kind of circular hosiery knitting machine, and that the species shown and described is an illustration the genus of devices in which the invenonly of tion is embodied.

'In' the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan above the latch guard ring and web holder bed of a circular knitting machine containing the invention, for example, one of the familiar Scott & Williams machines built under the Robert W. Scott Patents Nos. 1,282,958, dated October 29, 1918; 1,256,062, dated February 12, 1918; and 1,237,256, dated August 14, 1917 and containing the improvements herein specified; 4

, Fig. 2 is a detail corresponding to Fig. 1 showing the parts in another position;

Fig. 3 is a detail internal development of the stitch cams and .yarn feed throat, showing relationship of needles and yarns for purposes hereinafter explained;

Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the yarn feed fingers and certain means for actuating them;

- Fig. 5 is a diagram plan illustrating one preferred arrangement of needles and distribution around a knit tube of areas occupied respectively by patterning stitches of difierent kinds;

Fig. 6 is a conventional view in elevation of a stocking showing a pattern for decoration comprised of a thickened area and an area having a. float stitch pattern; Fig. .7 is an enlarged detail of a part of the fabric at the spliced pattern; w Fig.8 isan enlarged detail of a part of the fabric at the float-stitch pattern; and

Fig. 9 is a further enlarged detail of a spliced portiom showing the component yarns of its structure.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the machine may comprise in a preferred form devicesv for all ofthe necessary or usual stocking knitting functions; and may be provided with any suitable pattern devices for causing the needles auv to take the paths k, k

tomatically to take one or the other of several different paths at passage of the yarn feed guides and active stitch cam during rotary knitting. For example, the machine may contain the devices of my patent granted to Scott 8: Williams, Inc., No. 1,678,385, dated July 4, 1928, or the devices of the application of Albert E. Page,'Serial No. 359,962, filed May 2, 1929, or of the application of Albert E. Page for Automatic machine for making patterned hosiery, Serial No. 389,183, filed August 29, 1929, for selecting and moving needles to cause them or t, indicated in Fig. 3, as well as devices for withdrawing the stitch cam 361 and,dividing cam 382 shown in said figure. According to my said Patent No. 1,678,- 385 and the said Page applications, the needles are causedto take different paths, for example,

the paths t, k? or is, Fig. 3, according to the position of the cam 382 and the operation of needle jacks, not shown, which at each course select needles to be left in path 71: and needles to be raised to path is during rotary knitting. The

cam 361 being withdrawn dining rotary knitting to an inoperative position, needles n in path 10 pass the yarn feed throat at f in a lower position than needles in path' is, with the result that the yarns fed by some of the movable yarn feed fingers illustrated in general at F, Fig. 1, and comprising a series, shown as six, consecutively numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, may be supplied diiferently to needles traveling in said respective paths. Usually yarn fingers F2, 3 or 4 may be relied upon to feed a body yarn, for heel and toe knitting, for the welt, leg, ankle and foot; finger F1 may be operated as usual to feed a sectional splicing yarn to needle segments differentiated by their butts or to withdraw its yarn from knitting; thedelivery ends of fingers F2, 3 or 4may be alternatively positioned down on the floor of throat plate f to feed and upwardly above and inwardly of the needles to withdraw their yarns, as usual, for the familiar changes of yarns, and fingers F5 or 6 may be used to deliver an auxiliary yarn in plating relation to the body yarn fed from F2, 3 or 4. Referring to Fig. 3, fingers F5 and 6 are in the positions most removedjat the greatest lead) from and ahead of the stitch cam 360, and their yarn delivery eyes are withinthat part of the path of motion of the heads of the needles taking the path is preceding or during passage down the face of the top center cam 357, and are not within the path of the hooks of needles in path It, and are therefore positioned so that a yarn fed from them with a suitable degree of lead .from the cam 360, and if desired and, as shown, .a suitable elevation above the fioor of throat plate I, will be taken by the needles in the path is and be fioated behind needles taking the path It. This effect results from feeding a yarn, for example the yarn 11 or 1 into the hooks of some of the needles before relative movement.

of the other needles brings them into contact with the yarn being fed, whereupon said lastmentioned needles pass in front of that yarn. This makes a float on the rear face of the fabric.

Each of the yarn fingers F1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 may as usual be lifted automatically to an upper position to withdraw its yarn or lowered automatically to feed its yarn by one of the thrust bars 460, Fig. 4, of a series taking against the under side of the yarn finger inward of their usual pivot 554 on which the yarn fingers are journaled in a slot between lugs 555 of the latch ring 550. Finger F1 may as usual be operated for the usual kind of splicing by the coaction of a lug-s with the segmental cam 296 on the usual web holder bed 295; this is attached to and rotates with the usual needle earrierfor the needles n. The thrust bars 460 are pattern operated as usual by cams on drum 120 appropriately to drop or lift the yarn fingers F according to their desired active or inactive position.

Referring now to Fig. 5, for's'tocking knitting purposes the needles n may be arranged in segments ha'ving short butts as at 11 Fig. 5, long butts as' at n Fig. 5, and if desired in intermediate, segments having medium butts 12 When feeding a splicing yarn in addition to the body yarn fed by one of the usual fingers F2 or F3, the splicing finger F1 may be Worked up and down by the cam 296 before and after the passage of the leading and following needle of the segment n (or the segment n n 12 to be spliced, all as usual. The sole s of a typical stocking, Figs. 6 and 7, is usually so knit.

Obviously the segments of long, short and intermediate butts may be varied relatively in length in accordance with the character of the productto be made without interfering with the practice of the present invention. For example for knitting a stocking such as disclosed in the patent to Scott, Reissue No. 16,795, dated November 22, 1927, the patterned splicing P and the heel may be made on less than one-half of the needles; the double sole splicing yarn being fed to the on the small segments of needles interposed'between the instep group and the heel group.

The devices for pattern controlling the needlejacks of my said Patent No. 1,678,385 and of the said Page applications, are such as to permit selection of any needle at any course (or short group of courses), to be left in path is" or to lift it to pathk. The machines of my said patent or of the said Page applications are capable of selecting needles in any desired distribution, or in segments increasing or decreasing from course to course, to move in the path It during any desired and changeable number of successive courses of knitting. If yarn finger F2, for example, is in its lowermost active position to feed yarn y, a yarn 11 from finger F5 or y from finger F6, if either of these fingers is in active position, will be fed in plating relation on the face of loops of the body yarn 3 except to needles taking path In, in respect to which the yarn g or y will then float at the back of the fabric, which will be comprised at that needle of loops of the yarn 3/ only. If the pattern operated jacks do not lift any considerable segment of adjacent needles, the floated yarn will float at the position of a chord of the arc substended by said needles; in the case of a), segment of needles in path. It occupying half the circumference, the yarn g or then extends or floats diametrically across the needle circle. If the delivery eye of one of the yarn fingers F5 or F6 is moved radially away from the needle circle, the effect of this will be to cause the yarn from this finger to run diagonally on the floor of the throat F under the yarn fingers toward the left in Figs. 1 and 3, and to reach the needles from the place where it runs over the edge of the floor of throat f, for example the point :c, Fig. 1. Yarn fed from point a: is taken and knit by needles in paths 1:: or k indifferently, in the same way as yarn fed from any of the usual yarn fingers F1 to F4.

. Assuming that finger F6 is moved outward from the needles, and that finger F5 is in the operative position of Figs. 1 and 3, the yarn u will feed from the point a: and accompany the yarn 11 into all of the needle hooks, whereas the yarn y will plate on these yarns at needles takingpath It as the face yarn of triplicate loops containing yarns y, y, and :1 see Fig. 9. By the operation of the said needle selector devices, the patterned area 12 of Figs. 6 and '7, having any shape or contour of margin p shown as stepped, may be knit of such triplicate loops by cooperation of yarn fingers F2, 5 and 6 (F6 being radially withdrawn) with a segment of the needles lifted by their jacks to path 70, Fig. 3. Any needles taking path It will knit spliced triplicate plated fabric of this kind, but the yarn 11 will float behind needles taking path is.

If one of the fingers g or y, for example finger F6 for yarn g, is left in its operative position, to deliver its yarn near the needles, and another finger remote from the stitch cam, F5

. as shown, is lifted up to an inoperative position,

then the yarn 1 will plate on the face of loops of yarn y from fingers F2, 3, or 4 and will fioat behind single stitches of yarn y at all needles taking path k whereas yarn 11 will not enter the loops from any needle, .butfwill float inwardly of the needles.

If motions of yarn coordinated with motion of finger F6 outwardly.

and if motions of finger F5 upwardly correspond to motion of finger F6 inwardly, and change F2, 3, or 4, but having a yarn l9 standing at about 2, and closely against finger F5 downwardly are of these positions of these fingers is contrived to take place at least twice in every course for a predetermined length of the fabric, the segment of needles passing the yarn throat f while the finger F5 is operative and finger F6 radially withdrawn can have a pattern of triplicate (spliced) loops having yarn 31 plated on their faces corresponding to all the needles taking path k during maintenance of this position, whereas the needles of the segment passing the yarn throat I while the finger F5 is up and inoperative can have a pattern (according to passage of needles in path 70 of float stitches of the yarn y behind loops of only the body yarn y, the yarn 11 between such spices or floats being plated on the faces of the loops of the yarn 11. If such changes are made during passage of the same needles for course after course, spliced patterns and float patterns can be knit side by side. Such fioat patterns may vary greatly; if inalternate wales reversed at intervals of groups of a few courses, the effect is the so-called fishnet mesh, such as described and claimed in the application of Fred W. Smith, Serial No. 264,531, filed March 24, 1928.

Typical clock patterns of such float meshes are indicated in Figs. 6 and 8 at c'; a stripe ornament of the same nature capable of being made anywhere in the stocking is shown at c.

Yarn fingers and actuating means appropriate to these operations in one preferred form are shown in the drawings. Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the fingers F1, 2, 3, and 4 may be of any usual form for movement about shaft 554 out of operation by thrust bars 460 worked by cams on drum 120.

Finger F5 may be made as a lever pivoted between its ends on a fixed shaft 552, Figs. 1 and 4, near the latch ring pivot. 553 and near the planeof the floor of throat plate I and at a greater distance from the needles than shaft 554; a foot 10 holds the delivery end of finger F5 at 12' above the fioor of throat plate I, and a pin 13 fast in a hole in-said finger projects laterally over the finger F6. The tail 11 of finger F5 is stressed upward by tension spring 14 between a hole in said tail and a yarn separator plate 15 on one of the lugs 555. Motion of the end 12 about shaft 552 is approximately vertical along the face of the cylinder defined by needles n through a" limited motion to the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 4.

Yarn finger F6, shaped generally like fingers delivery end at the same level as the end 12 of finger F5, is slotted at 16 for shaft 554 to permit limited sliding motion. A thickened upwardly projecting lug 1'1 on finger F6 is bored and threaded for a limit screw 18 bearing against the face of lug 555 for limiting the delivery end 19 of finger F6 against sliding motion toward the needles under stress of a tension spring 20, Fig. 1, to a position near the needles, so that. delivery of yarn is above the needle path is when finger F6 is inward, in the position of Fig. the needle hooks traveling in path k. The upper a cam 21 leading to a notch 22 to receive pin 13, so that upward motion of finger F5 permits finger F6 to move forward to its limit, and

outward toward the l F6 moves outward to the position its yarn runs to the left, Figs. 1 and face of finger F6 provides cut-away forward end of finger F5 and under the normally slightly lifted ends of the remaining fingers F until it reaches a position :r-from which it reeves over the edge of throat plate f' into the downgoing phase of the hooks of each of the needles. descending along stitch cam 360 to knit. 1

The finger F5 (and consequently finger F6) is actuated according to passage of certain needles as at r, r, Fig. 5, respectively, to lower F5 and withdraw F6, and to lift F5 and advance F6. A connection for this purpose may be operated in any convenient way, but in the preferred form shown, Figs. 1 and 4, the devices for driving an instrument dial shaft 2'7 in unison with the needle carrier, according to said Scott Patent No. 1,282,958, are resorted to. These comprise a driven bevel gear 28 fast on said shaft 2'7 driven by a bevel pinion 29 on horizontal shaft 30 bearing in a bracket 34 on latch ring 550, said shaft 30 being driven by bevel gearing 31, 32 on vertical shaft 33 suitably driven from the usual main'drivingshaft of the machine, to drive shaft 27 and its attachments in unison with rotary motion of the needle carrier. Mounted on gear 28 is an actuator cam 35 having a segment of larger radius corresponding in angular magnitude to and positioned according to the segment of the stocking desired to contain float stitch patterns, whereas a segmentof said cam 35 of lesser radius corresponds to the segment of the stocking or other stitch desired to be ornamented by patterned splicings. If desired, the cam 35 may'have more than one of each of these high and low segments.

Yarn finger F5 is operated by a suitable connection to cam 35, which may comprise a lever 36 pivoted. at 37 on a projection from bracket 34, said lever 36 having a nose 38 to follow cam 35 and a boss bored for the bent end of a push rod 40, preferably made in two parts having an adjusting connector'sleeve 41, and pivoted to a radius link 43 pivoted on stud 554. Link 43 carries a rigid arm 45, one end of which serves as a pivot for rod and on which is a striker 46 in the plane of the tail 11 of finger F5. Obviously a. thrust on push rod 40 from cam 35 swings striker 46 to depress the tail and lift the delivery eye of finger F5. This lifts pin 13 and permits finger F6 to move forward to its position for delivery of yarn g for plating on and floating in relation to yarn fed at F1, 2, or 3. When nose 38 runs off the high part of cam 35,- spring 14 restores the parts, yarn 1 being withdrawn outwardly to feed from the point z, in relation to be knit by every needle taking either path k or le Fig. 3.

Whenever any yarn, such as y, iscaused to float for a diametrical or greater segment, in the preferred operation, the existing welt presser 7, Fig. 4, leads the float under the instrument dial 4 and dial cap 5, whence, if desired, its slack length may be. recovered by the usual yarn take-up devices of whatever hosiery machine to whichmy invention may be applied. Preferably, however, the'slack is held'within the needle circle and disposed of in such a way as to prevent air currents from returning it to the needles. One device for the purpose comprises a polished cone 6 formed on or attached to the under face of dial 4, and terminating in a cylindrical part 8, which may, as shown at 8, have a'slightly concave periphery, capable of holding bights of a floated splicing yarn wrapped about it by the motion of the needles and fabric until the growth periphery of the knit tube is to be-ornamented by splicing at the segment S, and by float -stitches anywhere in the needles n or at segments C, C, for clocks, for example, in parts of the stocking flanking the spliced pattern, cam

35 and the connection mentioned effect the changes of positioning sharply at passage of the intervening segments at the arrows r, r

The yarn finger F6 may be lifted about its pivot 554 by thrust bar 460 whenever it is desired not to feed its yarn 31 by a cam on drum 120. Lifting the finger F6.causes through pin 13, lifting finger F5 also.

Patterns calling for the active position of finger F6 'can, however, be made anywhere in the knit tube not flanking a spliced pattern, for

example, in the back of the leg; as at c' Fig. 6.

The thrust bar 460 working finger F5 may be held up by a cam ring 120 on drum 120 during knitting of all parts of the stocking not corresponding to the splicedarea except parts, such as welts W, heels h and toes T, in which it is desired not to feed yarn y, away from operative contact with cam 35, whereupon selection of needles anywhere in the needle circle to take path k will predet'ermine a float of yarn y,

which plates upon yarn y everywhere else in the web W. Whenever either yarn finger F5 or F6 is lifted, this has the effect of locking finger F5 up, stressing spring 14, and allowing connection '40and link 43 and lever 36., to be removed by gravity and motion of cam 35 away from operative contact with cam 35.

As explained, the operation assumes that the needles n have been operated upon, by the usual devices in the. machines improved upon, to clear their latches prior to feeding at the stitch cams. If not cleared at every course, the needles in path la -will tuck through courses intervening between operations on them to clear their latches. I

I claim:

1. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam, and pattern means forv causing needles at predetermined courses to take different paths on their approach to said stich cam, in combination, means for feeding a plurality of yarns movable to cause needles i1; one of said paths to knit a part course of spliced stitches, and at another part of said tating in unison with said .needle carrier for changing, the position of said feeding means during knitting a course to knit spliced fabric and to knit patterns, of float stitches respectively at different parts of said course.

2. In a yarn feeding device for knitting machines, a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam, and pattern means for causing needles at predetermined courses-to take diflerent paths on their approach to said stitch cam, in combination with means for feeding a plurality ofyarns movable at times during the knitting of -a course to cause needles in one of said paths to knit a part/course bf spliced stitches, and at another part of said course, to .knit stitches of a body yarn having floats of one of the splicing, yarns onone face of the fabric, and means having an element rotating in unison with said needle carrier for changing the position of said feeding means during knitting a course.

3. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam, means for causing needles at predetermined courses to take different paths according to a predetermined pattern on their approach to said stitch cam, in combination, means for feeding a body yarn, a plurality of movable fingers for feeding auxiliary yarns, one of said fingers being movable to position to feed needles in one of said paths only to knit a part course of spliced stitches, another of said fingers being movable to position to knit stitches of a body yarn having floats of yarns fed by it on one face of the fabric, and to a position for feeding all the needles for splicing, and means for changing the position of said feeding means during knitting a course.

4. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam, means for causing needles at predetermined courses to take different paths according to a predetermined pattern on their approach to said stitch cam, in combination, means for feeding a body yarn, a plurality of movable fingers for feeding auxiliary yarns, one of said fingers being movable to position to feed needles in one of said paths only to knit a part course of spliced stitches, another of said fingers being movable to position to knit stitches of a body yarn having floats of yarns fed by it on one face of the fabric, and to a position for feeding all the needles for splicing, and means having an element rotating in unison with said needle carrier for changing the position of said feeding means during knitting a course.

5. In a yarn feeding device for knitting machines, a plurality of yarn feed fingers, one of said fingers having freedom of motion toward and away from needles to be fed by it, an adjacent finger having freedom of motion to inoperative and operative positions to feed yarn, and means whereby motion of said last mentioned finger to inoperative position causes said adjacent finger .to move toward the needles, in combination with a yarn'feed throat permitting a yarn fed by said last mentioned finger to be positioned operatively when said finger is moved away from the needles.

6. In a yarn feeding device for knitting machines, a plurality of yarn feed fingers, one of said fingers having freedom of motion toward and away from needles to be fed by it, an adjacent finger having freedom of motion in another dimension to inoperative and operative positions to 'feed yarn, and means whereby mo- 7 tion of said last mentioned finger to inoperative position causes said adjacent finger to move toward the needles, and means for moving said adjacent finger at predetermined times.

'7. In a yarn feeding device for a circular knitting machine, a series of needles, and means for rotating the series to knit in combination,

yarn fingers, and means whereby motion of one of them into and out of operative position moves another of them from one to another operative position, and means for moving one of said yarn fingers and consequently the other, at the passage of a predetermined segment of needles.

8. In a yarn feeding device for a circular knitting machine, a series of needles, and means for rotating the series to knit in combination, yarn fingers, and means whereby motion of one of them into and out of operative position moves another of them from one to another operative position, means for moving said yarn fingers severally at predetermined times according to a predetermined pattern, means for moving one of said yarn fingers and consequently the other, at the passage of a predetermined segment of needles, ,comprising a cam rotating in unison with the needles, a follower for the cam, and a connection to said fingers adapted to be moved away from said cam when said fingers are pattern operated.

9. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier, needles therein, and means for moving the needles for stitch formation, in combination, means providing an elongate feed throat opening, yarn delivery means capable of delivering a yarn to the needle hooks from either of two substantially predetermined positions spaced, respectively, different distances from one end of said throat opening, and means operative to cause a shift of the said yarn from one of such delivery positions to the other and back again at least once in each course for a predeterminedv a course of stitches to move said yarn finger alternately to and from a second feed position from which the yarn moves through a different path on its way to the needle hooks.

11.'In a knitting machine having a needle carrier, needles therein, and means for moving the needles for stitch formation, in combination, means providing a feed throat opening elongate in the direction of movement of the series of needles, a yard finger, and means operative during the formation of a single course alternately to move the yarn finger to a feeding position adjacent to the needle path and near that end of the throat opening which the needles first approach, and to retract the yarn finger away from the needle path while maintaining it in feeding position so as to cause its yarn to reeve over the edge of the throat opening at a point near the end of the latter.

12. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier, needles therein, and cam means for moving the needles for stitch formation, in combination, a latch ring having a circumferentially elongate throat opening, a plurality of feed guides movable from idle position to a feeding position adjacent to the. lower edge of the throat opening, and means operative during the formation of a course of stitches alternately to move one of said guides to position its yarn opening.

13. In a knitting machine having a needle 7 carrier and needles, a stitch cam, and means for causing needles interspersed among others in acleast once during cordance with a selected pattern, at predeter mined courses, to take different paths on their approach to said stitch cam, in combination, means for feeding a plurality of yarns, said yarn-feeding means comprising a group of relatively movable yarn guide elements disposed adjacent to the stitch cam, means operative to shift one at least of said group of guide elements from one feed position to another and back again during the formation of each course of a predetermined length of fabric, said shifting means being operative relatively to position said yarn guide elements during the formation of a partial course so as to cause those needles only to take a predetermined one of said paths to knit stitches of one yarn while floating another yarn at one face of the fabric, and in another part of the same course to cause the needles which follow both paths to knit the first yarn together with the previously floated yarn, and needles which follow one of said paths also taking and knitting a third yarn with the other two to form triplicate stitches.

14. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam, and means for causing selected patterning needles at predetermined courses to take different paths, according to a predetermined pattern-upon their approach to the stitch cam, in combination, means for feeding a plurality of yarns, said yarnfeeding means comprising a group of yarn guides disposed adjacent to the stitch cam, guide actuating means operative to shift one at least of said group of to another, and back again, during the formation of each course of a predetermined length of fabric, said actuating means so relatively positioning the guides during the formation of a partial course, as to cause those needles only which take a predetermined one of said paths to knit stitches comprising a body yarn and an auxiliary yarn in plating relation and to cause needles taking another path to knit stitches comprising said body yarn and floats of the auxiliary yarn, the yarn guide actuating means being operative so to position the respective yarnguides at another part of the same course as to cause the needles which take both paths to knit spliced stitches comprising said body yarn and said auxiliary yarn, while the needles which follow the other path also take and knit a third yarn.

15. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam,- and pattern means for causing needles at predetermined courses to take'difierent paths on their approach to said' sitch cam, in combination, a group of relatively movable yarn guides disposed adjacent to the stitch cam, one of said guides delivering a body yarn and another of said guides delivering an auxiliary yarn, means operative to shift said latter guide from one of two different feedanother, and back again, at-

ing positions to the formation of. each course of a predetermined-length of fabric, said shifting means being operative to position the auxiliary guide during the formation of a partial -course so as to cause those needles only which take a predetermined one of said paths to knit stitches comprising loops of the body yarn and floats of the auxiliary yarn, said shifting means being operative to dispose the auxiliary guide, during the formation of another path of the same course, to cause the needles which I'OHOW guides from one feed position feeding Positions, means operative to shift said shiftable guide from one of said feeding positions to the other, and back again, at least once during the formation of each course of a predetermined length of fabric, said shifting means being operative relatively to position said guides during the formation of a partial course so as to cause those needles only which follow one of said paths to knit stitches of yarn from the shiftable guide, said yarn floating at the face of the fabric at stitches knit by needles following the other path, said guide shifting means being also operative relatively to position a plurality of said guides during knitting of the same course to cause the needles which take both paths to knit spliced stitches comprising yarn from the aforesaid shiftable guide, while the needles following one of said paths also take and knit an additional yarn in plating relation to the yarn delivered by the shiftable guide.

17. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam, and means for causing needles at predetermined courses, to take different paths according to a predetermined pattern, upon their approach to said stitch cam, in combination, a group of yarn guides disposed adjacent to the stitch cam, one of said guides delivering a body yarn, and two at least ofsaid guides delivering auxiliary yarns, one at least of said latter guides being shiftable back and forth between-two different feeding positions, and means for moving said shiftable auxiliary guide back and forth during the formation of each course of a predetermined to cause those needles only which follow one,

path to knit stitches ,comprising the body yarn and the yarn from said shiftable auxiliary guide, said auxiliary yarn floating at stitches knitby needles following the other path, said guide shifting means being also operative to position said shiftable auxiliary guide and another auxiliary guide during the formation of the same course, so as to cause the needles which follow the first path to knit spliced stitches comprising a body yarn and a plurality of auxiliary yarns.

18. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam, and means for causing needles at predetermined courses to take different paths, according to a predetermined pattern, on their approach to said stitch cam, in combination, a group of yarn guides disposed adjacent to the stitch cam, one of said guides delivering a body yarn, and a plurality of said guides delivering auxiliary yarns, respectively, one at leastof the latter guides being shiftable back and forth between two different-feeding positions, actuating means operative to move said shiftable guide back and forthduring the formation of each course of a predetermined length of fabric, and to position said shiftable auxiliary guide during formation of a partial course so as to cause those needles only which follow one path to knit stitches comprising the body yarn and the yarn from said shiftable auxiliary guide in plating relation thereto, the yarn from said shiftable auxiliary guide floating at stitches knit by needles following the other path, said actuating means also being operative relatively to position the last-named shiftable auxiliary guide and a second auxiliary guide, so as to cause needles following the first of said paths to knit stitches comprising the body yarn and both auxiliary yarns with the yarn from the second auxiliary guide in plating relation to the other yarns.

19. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier, needles therein, a stitch cam, and means operative selectively to divide the needles into groups as they approach the stitch cam and to maintain such division throughout production of a full course of stitches, in combination, yarn feeding means comprising a group of relatively movable yarn guides disposed adjacent to the stitch cam, one at least of said group of guides being shiftable back and forth between two different feeding positions, and control means operative during the formation of each course of a predetermined length of fabric to position said shiftable guide in one of its feeding positions, thereby to cause needles of one of said groups to knit a single yarn in certain wales of said courses, while needles of ano her group knit said yarn and another yam to form duplex stitches in certain other wales. of each such course, said duplex stitches being disposed in front of trol means being operative during the formation able guide to its other feeding position, thereby to cause said two yarns and the third yarn tobe delivered to needles for forming triplicate stitches in other wales of each such course.

floats of a third yarn, said con- I of another part of said course to shift said shift- 7 20. In a knitting machine having a needle carrier, needles therein, and cam means for moving the needles for stitch formation, in combination with means for selectively dividing the needles into groups as they approach said stitch cam, yarn feeding means comprising a group of relatively movable yarn guides disposed adjacent to the stitch cam, one at least of said guides having two different feeding positions, and control means operative to move said latter guide back and forth between its two different feeding positions at least once during the formation of each course of a predetermined length of fabric and so to position saidguide,

while maintaining unchanged said selected division of the needles, as first to cause the-- guides of said group to deliver a body yarn and one or two auxiliary yarns, respectively, to selected needles of one group, and subsequently during the knitting of the same course'relatively to dispose said guides to deliver the body yarn alone, or the body yarn and one yarn only of said auxiliary yarns, respectively, to selected needles of the other group.

IVAN w. GROTHEY. 

